10 Ways To Be A Virtuous Woman -Proverbs 31 Woman
Whether or not you believe in the Bible and God, the idea of being a virtuous woman was taken from the book of Proverbs (31) in the bible. These passages were written by King Lemeul, and they were poems written as an ode to his mother who taught him not only how to be a virtuous man, but how to find a woman of virtue. So in all truth, this passage from the bible was not ACTUALLY directed towards women, but it was directed towards a man and what virtues he should look for in a wife.
The belief that this passage was directed towards women, can lead to unrealistic expectations for many women who are trying to live up to the impossible standards of these virtues and feel like failures when they simply cannot. Let's be clear: The Proverbs 31 woman was a FICTITIOUS character made up by a mother to teach her son in what he should look for in a woman.
People also tend to skip past or gloss over the passage written by King Lemeul about the type of man his mother wanted HIM to be. In Proverbs 31: 1-9, his mother admonishes him to be a man of God and live with honor and integrity. She encourages him to take leadership and be a man of authority who conducts himself in ways that would be pleasing to God. She also tells him not to be a womanizer (take advantage of woman), not to give in to drink (Not to get drunk and make poor decisions), to be a man of justice, who judges fairly, and to be a man of integrity who speaks up for people who cannot speak up for themselves.
Regardless of the fact that Ruth is a made-up woman meant to give example from a mother to a son about the type of wife he should look for, we can all be inspired by these passages and take a lot of wisdom from King Lemeul's mom's words too! The passages have value for women too and there are a few main virtues that we can all aspire to live up to!
1. BE LOYAL AND DEVOTED TO YOUR HUSBAND AND FAMILY
There is nothing more important than being a loyal and devoted person. Period. A virtuous woman is a blessing to her husband and family and builds her husband up to others so that he is well respected in the community. She doesn't cheat or stray and she is dependable to her husband and family. She works hard to make sure she doesn't bring any shame or harm to her husband and in return he has full confidence in her abilities and her word.
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband" - Proverbs 12:4
2. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR HEALTH
A virtuous woman treats her body and mind like a temple. It is so important to take good care of yourself, physically, mentally and spiritually. This includes getting a good amount of sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating healthily, and moving your body in some way. Take the time to put care into your body and mind to make sure you are as healthy as you can be for your husband and family.
There is nothing more attractive than seeing a woman being a good mother. Be kind, attentive and respectful of your children so that they will learn how to be respectful, kind and loving too.
Taking good care of your home and your family is so important. Whether or not you are married, your home should be an extension of how you view yourself. Treat your home with respect and keep it clean and tidy and learn a set of homemaking skills that will make every day easier and that will also be gifts to your husband and family (ie; Preparing a delicious meal, sewing up or mending a ripped shirt, etc). Homemaking is a ministry to your family that extends into the community. It is not just about cooking, cleaning and making sure your family has all of their needs met. It is about nurturing an environment of love, warmth and comfort in your home.
5. MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY
Managing your time wisely is so important for everyone! A big part of taking care of yourself is also learning how to guard your heart and putting your mind and heart into spending your time on the important things in life. Learn how to manage your time and only put your energy into good things that will embrace your life and your family, not waste it on things that don't do you any good.
Get dressed in the mornings! Take pride in your appearance without obsessing over your looks. Regardless of what you have planned, you should always get dressed for your days and embrace your beauty. A virtuous woman always dresses appropriately and modestly and creates a loving and warm environment in her home which radiates through her appearance as well!
Being kind is a true virtue of a respectable woman and I think we all should be looking for ways to serve others, either in our own family or in our community. Open your arms to the less fortunate people than you and learn to help others in the way that you would want to be helped. Serve others in your life consistently with acts of love and kindness, but know how to set boundaries and recognize when help is needed and when you are being taken advantage of.
We should all embrace the gifts that God has given us and use our talents and skills wisely to grow and flourish! Having talents is not something to ever be taken for granted and they are blessings in our lives to bring prosperity to our families as well as to help us grow as people. We should never shy away from working hard and managing our skills to ensure that they flourish and prosper.
Be a respected and compassionate woman who knows how to nurture through acts of kindness and love. While some might view compassion as a weakness, it is actually a characteristic of strength and integrity. Always treat others in the way that you wish to be treated yourself and above all, have compassion for yourself. You are human, you are NOT perfect, and things are bound to mess up or go wrong at many times in our lives. Having compassion for yourself is so important in recognizing that you are a human in need too!
Whether or not your faith is with God or a spiritual sanctity that you have found, being a woman of faith is so important. Life WILL get hard, it won't be perfect, it will get messy, and in these times it is so important to have faith in something bigger than you. It will also be important to be able to lift up your husband and family with your faith through prayer and guidance and it is an invaluable quality to everyone around you.
In short, we are NOT perfect! Being a woman of virtue takes time, dedication and continuous effort. I know for myself personally, I struggle with many of these things from time to time, but I always try to do my best and live in a way that makes my family and my husband proud. Most importantly, I try to live in a way that makes myself proud and I think that's the best thing we can all do for ourselves!
Happy Friday!
xoxo - Mrs. Perkett
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